“The last thing I remember was being at the auction. I was on the dance floor.”

“With me or with him? That guy…Jason?”

“We danced?” she croaked. Her head moved slowly back and forth, indicating uncertainty. “Wait, I remember seeing you. You were standing under a tree.”

“Christ, Carrie Ann. That’s the last thing you remember?”

Uneasiness mounted. She could only nod.

“I debated on whether or not I should step in and stop you from making an ass out of yourself. You wrapped yourself around him, grinding on him…”

“I didn’t. There’s no way I would do that. Especially at the auction…or with Jason.” Another round of humiliation scorched her face.

“Boy-wonder was thoroughly enjoying the show. The way you moved against him made it perfectly clear you didn’t want anything to do with me, but you kept smiling at me the whole time.” He threw his hands wide, stretching the cotton fabric over his cut abdomen and chest. “Fuck, you pissed me off. I didn’t know if I should rip his head off or leave. Do you have any idea how infuriated I was watching you throw that shit in my face?”

A vision of his tongue shoved down his co-star’s throat and her naked breasts pressed against him brought clear elucidation. Even after a decade, seeing him with another woman was still…gut wrenching.

“Please tell me you didn’t get into a fight with him?

A comical smile seasoned with a hint of arrogance tipped his lips. “I didn’t have to. You came to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you literally left him standing alone in the middle of I’m Not the Only One and walked over to me. I’m not sure if walk would be the right terminology. Slink might be a better definition. You had some serious sultry swagger going on, Red.”

Her fingers came to her lips, hiding her baffled incomprehension.

“You apologized to him when he came after you. Sort of.” Summer snickered. “Telling him with a few pats on the hand, I’ve got no spark, Jason. Zilch! Nothing.”

“Oh, dear God. Please tell me I didn’t really say that to him.”

“Yes. Yes you did. Then you looked me up and down like you were going to eat me alive and said ‘Big spark!’” His fingers burst open in stiff points as he made a theatrical sound of a massive explosion. “If I hadn’t felt so fucking flattered…I might’ve damn near felt violated.”

“Oh, God.”

“Trust me, Red, that’s the least of your actions from the last twenty-four hours you should be embarrassed about”

“Fuck. Fuckity-fuck,” slipped from her mouth in a horrified whisper. Sick feelings of panic and dread swam in her stomach.

Summer traced his fingers over the shell of her ear. “You afraid?”

Those two small words sent a deep shiver up her spine. Her pulse rocketed, keeping rhythm with the rain now falling on the tin roof. Tiny muscles near her nose twitched and contorted from the mounting emotions threatening to spill. In a daze of confusion, she felt the smooth warm flesh of his palm cup her jaw. The pad of his thumb ghosted over the crest of her cheek smearing the wetness.

“Are you afraid you had sex with me?”

Her chest rapidly lifted and lowered. A thousand questions gathered like dimples on a golf ball, stuck in the confines of her constricting throat. A slickness of tears blurred her vision, trickling into the crease between her cheek and his palm. Summer brought his face inches from hers. He cradled her face making another pass at the tears leaking from her eyes.

Tears she swore she’d never shed in front of him again.

Ever.

Carrie Ann drew in a shaky breath, pulling back a bit from his solid form to put some much needed distance between them. She nodded in a slow despondent circle, indicating overwhelming confusion.

A responsive look of empathy clouded his eyes…right before they glimmered with mischief. “Don’t worry that beautiful mind of yours, Red. I turned you down.”

Summer released her jaw, eyes locked on her reaction as he took a step back. Oddly enough, she had to add the blow of rejection to the ever growing list of emotions shredding her gut. And it stung.

“We didn’t…”

“Have sex?” He interceded, saving her from her own discomfiture.

“Why am I sore all over?” She rolled her shoulder gingerly, loosening the tension.

“Whoop, whoop.” Summer raised his hands ceiling, giving them a quick pump. “As for the rest of your body…well…you gave it a workout.”

Scorching heat flooded her cheeks turning them scarlet. She blinked repeatedly wrestling with her sub-conscious. He maneuvered his way through the kitchen flipping burgers onto two readied plates and forking spears of asparagus beside it.

“What exactly does that mean? I have zero recollection.”

“I didn’t have sex last night.” His emphasis hung on the singularity of the word I as he poked his thumb against the center of his chest. And then he did it. He blasted her with a full fledge cocky-mother-fucking heart stopping grin.

Her eyes fell to the floor. Carrie Ann shifted awkwardly in her seat, squirming from one cheek to the other. She wasn’t even certain what day it was. Heat gathered beneath the thin layer of cotton clothing. Flames of embarrassment prickled the hollows of her cheeks. Finding her courage, she lifted her gaze only to find his face averted, hiding his smile.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He refused to look up, fiddling with the burger toppings.

“Summer?” A thin thread of mania riddled her labored breath.

“It means…” Pushing a plate in front of her, he closed the gap between them. Summer’s grin was now abandoned. His gaze nailed to the rise and fall of her chest, indulging in a slow methodical assessment of her every movement. “You managed just fine all by yourself last night.”

She didn’t think things could get any worse, but they did. Anxiety worked its way into a full blown panic attack, breaking over her flesh in a thousand pricks of heat. Heart palpitations spurred wildly in her chest.

“I…I really don’t remember anything. I don’t even know where I am.” Words slipped from her mouth in an ache of whisper. Rationalization impeded apprehension. “So if you could please enlighten me a little, I would appreciate it.”

“Do you really want to know?”

His face remained over hers. A hint of pleasure clouded his whiskey eyes, chipping away at the years that had passed. Being near him still brought an internal comfort, she’d only been able to find in his presence. However, time still held the scars of the broken trust and painful heartache.

“I’m not sure.”

Keeping his easy gaze locked on her eyes, Summer clasped his hand around her wrist, lifting her fingers to his lush full lips. Her breath caught in a soft shaky gasp. A wave of unspeakable pleasure moved through her, rapt in the stunning vision of his mouth slowly taking her two fingers into his mouth. His searing hot tongue slipped between her fingers, sensually sucking and twisting.

Heat spread across her chest. The tender place between her thighs began to ache and tighten making her wet. Her lips parted, leaning closer as if being drawn by a magnet. He stood so close the heat of their breaths mingled. Summer’s eyes, heavily lidded and filled with lust, never faltered from hers. He released her fingers, touching them to his lips with a kiss.

“That was the extent of my participation last night. You insisted upon feeding me your sweet pussy during the flight here. In between begging, begging me, Red, to pull over so I could fuck you.”

She tried to swallow but had no saliva, her throat dry from panting. Carrie Ann collected her trembling fingers. Her hands wrung together into a ball. “I did not,” she whispered feebly.

Summer hooked an index finger beneath her chin, forcing her to face him. He let loose a small rogue smile. She could feel the lines of apprehension etching deep into her forehead, shaking her head in dismay. His left eyebrow twitching upward giving absolute confirmation.